It’s Dayton Beer Week!

By Kevin J. Gray

For craft beer fans, it’s a good week to be in Dayton. We are smack in the middle of the Fourth Annual Dayton Beer Week – a weeklong celebration that highlights the rich beer culture in the Miami Valley with tastings, dinners and premier events throughout the week. The week culminates in one of the summer’s biggest and longest running beer festivals, AleFest Dayton.

Pre-party festivities kicked off Saturday with the Third Annual Pints, Putters & Pink Balls, a golf scramble for the Breast Cancer Foundation Local Chapter. If you missed it this year, be sure to check it out in 2014. And if you were in the Oregon District Sunday afternoon, you might have seen the official start to Dayton Beer Week, the Fourth Annual Beer Pride Parade. Dayton’s craft beer ale-uminati marched down Fifth Street in a parade that culminated with the ceremonial first tapping at Thai 9.

Missed the first two events? Not to worry. The week is just getting started. See the exhaustive full listing of events at daytonbeerweek.com. There are a ton of tastings, dinners and beer specials each day, so find something near you or your favorite bar. Below, however, are some signature events not to miss.

Tonight, Tuesday, Aug. 20, burn calories and get social with the annual Biking for the Beer of It group ride and beer tasting. Meet at 6 p.m. sharp at the lot next to the West Carrollton Post Office – on East Central Avenue – for a 10-mile loop along the Great Miami River Trail. At the midway point in Miamisburg, participants will break at A Taste of Wine where they will receive samples of Widmer Brothers beers and cheese. All riders receive a Dayton Beer Week pint glass and Widmer Brothers schwag. The ride is limited to 80 participants and is $25. There are often a few spots left, so call Kim or Bonnie today at 937.247.1120 and get your bike out this evening.

For a race of a different type, head to Lucky’s Taproom & Eatery Thursday, Aug. 22 for the Third Annual Firkin Drag Race. For the past two years, Dayton’s top two craft beer distributors have squared off to see who has the better beer. Each distributor brings a firkin of cask ale – essentially a small keg that has been naturally carbonated and is served using traditional methods rather than forced carbonation. First firkin to kick wins. And the loser? Well, that’s why they call it a drag race – the losing distributor dons a dress for the evening. Mike McAllister will represent Premium Beverage with a cask of Full Pint Brewery’s Chinookie (with fresh citrus peel and sage in the vessel), while Giri Dodballapur will represent Cavalier with a cask of Left Hand Brewing’s Stranger Pale Ale, The series is tied 1-1, so the competition will be fierce this year.

Friday, Aug. 23, warm up for AleFest at The Trolley Stop. The pre-party event, dubbed Red Carpet Night, is the annual end of week stop for wrapping Dayton Beer Week. With tons of brewery reps in town, the industry folks gather for a pint at the local Oregon District watering hole.

Saturday, Aug. 24 marks the Main Event – the 15th annual Dayton AleFest. Visitors sample beers from more than 170 breweries, including local entries from Toxic Brew, Yellow Springs Brewery, Dayton Beer Company and Lock 27. Or chose from one of the other 400 beers available. The event is held at Carillon Historical Park and runs from 2-5 p.m.

Pro tips: get your tickets early, designate a driver – or pregame at Tank’s and take their shuttle over – and check out beers you’ve never tried. Also, because of the construction of the new Carillon Historic Brewery on the site, car access is limited to entry off Patterson Boulevard. (But really, the best bet is to have a friend haul your butt to and fro – there are a lot of beers to try!) Get tickets online at alefest.com or at any of the 70 participating venues listed here.

Below are the 70 participating venues where you can buy AleFest tickets, or stop in for an event or a specially priced pint. For full details and up-to-the-minute updates, check out daytonbeerweek.com.